Ben Wallace Suffers a Broken Fibula Thursday Night

Cleveland Cavalier defensive specialist Ben Wallace sustained a broken right fibula in the second quarter of Thursday night's matchup against the Houston Rockets. Originally speculated to be a strained calf muscle, tests performed later revealed a bone fracture.

The injury was the result of a collision with Houston All-Star center Yao Ming.

As a testament to the toughness of Wallace, he played through the pain into the third quarter before heading to the locker room. Wallace returned on crutches in the fourth to the Cleveland bench sporting a temporary cast.

While the injury is not considered to be season-ending, Wallace will miss a few weeks of action. Expect Cavalier big men Anderson Varejao and Lorenzen Wright to see an immediate increase in playing time.

Wallace has averaged three points and 6.6 rebounds per game this year.